Pretty Little Liars Burning Question: Is “A” Working For Ali?

We’re still not sure what was and wasn’t real in last night’s episode of Pretty Little Liars. Sure, most of it took place inside of Spencer’s brain — but most of what went down in the noir-inspired delusion could have been related to cold hard clues Spencer has uncovered in her extensive real-life investigation. We’re thinking specifically of the hints that Alison (Sasha Pieterse) may be the puppeteer in this entire charade known as the “A” game. Is “A” working for Ali?

Yes, Alison Is the Leader of the “A” Team

If there’s any PLL character who can put on a show, it’s Alison. So far, we’ve been led to believe that the runaway teenager is struggling to make ends meet and scared for her life, but what if that’s just what Ali wants the Liars to believe? The Liars instinctually doubt their friend’s motives, and maybe they should. The person who has all-out manipulated the Liars in the same way “A” has is Alison, which leads us to believe that maybe — whatever else is going on with Ezra and the other shifting pieces of the “A” game — Ali is behind it all. A seemingly significant clue in last night’s episode that may or may not relate back to reality in a meaningful way was the telegram from “A” taped to Alison’s dressing room mirror. It seemed friendly, and implied that “A” knows exactly where to find Alison. If that’s the case, then who’s she running from? If that’s the case, maybe she’s the one doing the chasing.

No, But She’s Using the Liars as Bait

Then again, just because Alison’s lying, doesn’t mean she’s the ringleader in this game. We think Alison may be telling the truth about running from someone, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to throw her friends in that person’s path in order to protect herself. In last night’s episode, the Liars accused her of this very thing —of using the Liars’ as bait in some epic game of cat-and-mouse — and Spencer’s head-Alison didn’t deny it.

No, What We Saw Was Just Spencer’s fears

Spencer is in a dark place right now — one where theories about what Ali is up to are constantly running through her brain. A place where she is constantly questioning others’ motivations. The Alison we saw in last night’s episode may have been a manifestation of Spencer’s doubts than anything else — her doubts about Alison, as well as the doubts she has about herself. We know she still feels guilt for some reason about the circumstances surrounding Ali’s disappearance. Was this a representation of the Alison that Spencer wants her former bestie to be so it will be easier to absolve herself of that guilt?

Do you think “A” is working for Alison? Share your theories in the comments below!

Catch the next episode of Pretty Little Liars on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC Family.

Kayti Burt is a contributing writer for Wetpaint Entertainment with a penchant for all things pop culture. Follow her on Twitter and Google+!